American Hiker Dies in Crete Accident; Family Donates Organs

A 33-year-old American woman has died following a hiking accident on Crete last week, and her family has chosen to donate her organs.

The accident occurred on Monday, December 23rd, in a remote, rugged area near the Preveli Monastery on Crete's southern coast. The hiker fell from a cliffside, prompting a significant rescue operation. Tragically, she was pregnant and suffered a miscarriage in addition to severe head and chest injuries.

After being declared brain dead on Sunday, her family, who had travelled from the United States to Greece, made the difficult decision to honour her wishes as a registered organ donor. She was taken off life support at a hospital in Chania.

A medical team from Laiko Hospital in Athens travelled to Crete to retrieve her kidneys and liver, while her corneas were donated to another hospital on the island.

The administration of the General Hospital of Chania released a statement expressing their condolences to the family and praising their selfless act:

“The administration of the General Hospital of Chania expresses its deep and sincere condolences to the family of the donor and bows before this greatness of the soul and humanity. The idea of organ and tissue donation is the highest form of volunteerism and altruism and a primary prerequisite for realising the medical miracle of organ transplantation.”